The Devil and Its Angel
by YinndYang
Summary: After the war,the gang rests at the Fire Nation Palace,and Katara is forced to be Zuko's caretaker.When she meets Zuko's sweet cousin and falls for him,an old friend wants to break this.With Zuko's crush on this friend,his opinion on Katara is changing...


Chapter 1:

She arrogantly strut the halls of the Fire Nation Palace. Every few steps caused her to look up at the the doors and wonder whether Sokka, or any of her friends were inside. She couldn't just barge in. True, there were no locks in any of the rooms, exceptions for a few places. Like the master bedroom, meeting rooms, library. . . etc.

Katara unassertively paused in front of giant double doors. She sighed, then knocked in a polite manner.

After the stressful days of war against the Fire Lord, the palace was not contributing. It was like traveling through the vast and immense South Pole. But this seemed significantly larger.

Exhausted and injured, the kind-hearted Uncle Iroh, also current Fire Lord, provided them with a place to stay. A period of a week had passed since they had arrived at the Fire Nation Palace.

Zuko's sudden revision of his decision was an astonishment to everyone. He decided to support them in the war, instead of taking sides with his sister Azula. She would scowl and mutter horrific words while they fought against her. The sudden cause of the change in Zuko was unknown. He was even mistaken for a spy when he first arrived. Whenever anyone approached him with the subject about his decision, he would blow them off with a rage of words and walk away. Either that, or just ignore them. This was the treatment Sokka usually received. Even so, whoever spoke with Zuko still obtained his rasp attitude. He was kind to the adults, but just the opposite to everyone else. His personality could never be understood. It was sometimes mistaken by his sly or even good attitude. Though he _was_ a mysterious person . . .

Katara tapped on the door once more. She exhaled and spoke.

"Hello? Anyone inside?"

No answer.

She turned the knob and pushed open the door.

"Hello?" asked Katara, peering inside with a peculiar taste.

The first thing that caught her eye was a blazing fire in the very end of the capacious room. In the middle of the fire was the royal throne. It was raised on a platform, in between two lengthy pillars. They were the same color of the flames. . . Her eyes goggled at the mystifying scenes until she resurfaced and gazed at the other contents in the room. Right ahead of her was an extensive table that could seat about 20 people. The color of the table was pitch black.

She stepped inside, grazing her hands on the polished seats and getting a better view.

Katara's guess was as good as anyone's. This was the meeting room. And the royal throne up on the platform was where the Fire Lord was supposed to be seated. Her irritable mood had molded into a sense of curiosity. She walked up ahead for a better look at the royal throne.

The low screeches of wheels were heard behind her. . . But Katara didn't hear them, as she neared the royal throne and it's flames.

The wheels paused abruptly, as did Katara. She knew this was dangerous, but she only wanted to get a good look at the throne.

The wheels suddenly sped up, and Katara was only 3 feet away from the platform.

The sound of the wheels were blocked out by the roar of the threatening fire...

She reached out her hand to feel the texture of the platform, when––

A hand harshly placed itself on Katara's shoulder, and she was jerked around to meet two infuriating eyes.

"What the hell are you doing in here?!" exclaimed the aggravated Prince Zuko.

Katara's shocked expression turned into an annoyed one.

"Why do you care? I'll go wherever I want." She answered, just to provoke him.

Zuko and Katara did not get along. Ever since he first tried to attack Aang, and to when he had tied her to a tree. He was still the same spoiled Prince.

Katara folded her arms and scanned Zuko's expression.

Anger crept over his face but he tried to stay calm.

"You don't have any permission to go inside of this room. Now get out before the fire burns you. . . Or before I call the guards." he smiled slyly.

Katara's mouth dropped open. "Is that a threat?" she shouted defensively.

"I can make it one if you don't get your–"

"Zuko! Katara! There you are! We have been looking all over for you Katara. And Zuko, you didn't even inform us when you found her!" Ursa strode over to them with a concerned look on her face. She was wearing magnificent red robes with a golden outlining.

Zuko's face softened as he turned around in a chair. With wheels on it. This was the first time she noticed this about him. Zuko had broken both of his legs in a horrible accident when a wall had collapsed on him at the last remnants of the war. So now he was forced to stay on a wooden wheelchair if he wanted to get around anywhere.

Ursa stopped in front of Zuko then placed her hand over her mouth. "Of course! I'm so sorry Zuko. I don't blame you for not informing us. You poor thing." she placed her hand gently on his shoulder and planted a kiss on his head.

Zuko rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, mom." But he smiled at the same time. Even with Ursa still treating him like a child, Zuko was ecstatically overwhelmed with happiness when he reunited with her.

Ursa grinned widely. "Come on. I have a surprise for you Zuko. It's someone you haven't seen for a while." Then she turned to Katara. "Are you alright dear? And how did you end up in here?"

"Oh, um, I kinda lost my way around the palace. It's, you know hard to memorize where everything is. But I'm fine. I was actually knocking on the doors to see if I could find Sokka or anyone. Then _Zuko_ came along." Katara explained then narrowed her eyes grimly at Zuko.

He shot her a devilish look.

Ursa nodded and pushed Zuko's wheelchair while leading the way to the living room. Apparently there was some surprise.

"Oh, one more thing. The maids just mopped the floors on the first corridor, which includes the stairs so be careful. So it's going to be very slippery over there. Watch your step. That includes you, too, Zuko." She said while Zuko snickered at the thought of Sokka slipping. "We don't want your wheelchair slipping so don't go up for a race of any sort."

Zuko sighed. "I know, mom. You know me better than to do that. I'd never accept some stupid race."

But Katara wasn't listening. She stared up in space while she walked along, thinking up plans to get rid of Zuko. Then she realized after a few minutes of walking that she needed to change her clothes. The bottom of her dress had black smudges over them from dragging across the grounds in the garden. She'd gone for a stroll in the garden earlier today.

"Ursa, I'll meet you in the living room in a few minutes. I just need to go up to my room." she clarified.

Ursa nodded. "Okay, dear."

Katara speed walked through the hall then saw a sign that said 'First Corridor'.

A voice shouted behind her. "Don't run Katara!"

She turned left then started to jog to where the stairs met. Without clutching the railing, she kept her hands to her sides and started to jog down the long stairs.

The warning of Ursa had not struck her.

Her right foot almost slipped on the next step. She put out her hands for balance and straightened up. She didn't think it was the slippery the ground. Just the thought that she didnt put her foot down right.

But when Katara barely started to jog down again, her left foot slipped on a puddle, and she put out her hands to keep her balance. This time that didn't work. Her foot skid and was in the air, as well as her body.

She was falling down, in mid air, with nothing but the cold marble floor to stop her. Katara squeezed her eyes shut, then felt a jolt of strong hands grab her waist and legs.

Suddenly, she was not falling anymore. She gulped and gently opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was a face, looking down at her. He had shimmering golden eyes, and his smile reflected his whole face.


End file.
